Wendy and The Stone Heart
by Satchelle
Summary: Ilvermorny, surrounded by dark pines and cold mist, sits on Mount Greylock's head like a granite crown. Students learn Morphosis and Glamours, how to ride flying buffalo and speak Atlantian. Wampuses battle suits of armour, Thunderbirds watch storms from their tower roof, Horned Serpents solve age old problems in their underwater cave, and Pukwudgies...well, they live in a stump.
1. The Staircase

A/N: The story was worked out with a wonderful friend of mine, and I owe her everything.

 **Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter One: The Staircase**

It was an early September morning in the great State of Massachusetts.

A few No-Maj's who were awake brewed their coffee, brushed their teeth and started their car for work. Slowly, lights blinked on in the No-Maj's cities. Ready for another, No-Maj day.

But for the first years of Ilvermorny, today was one they'd been waiting for since they could fly their toy broomsticks. They came from all over North America, a few arriving No-Maj ways, like train or bus, and hiking from there. The rest came on the school's steamboat that had picked students up from various ports along the coast.

For those, it had been a week's long journey and they were eager to start learning magic right away.

At least a hundred of them gathered at the base of Mount Greylock, trunks in hand, blue and cranberry robes pressed, ready to start school.

Only to find a gruff, one-eyed docksman who took their luggage and pointed his cane at the mountain. "Yeh walk from here." He grumbled. "And don't leave the trail, or there'll only be bones left of yeh."

The group exchanged glances. The ones born to wizarding families had already been briefed on the journey ahead, and wearing appropriate footwear, started out. The less lucky ones trudged across the sandy port in pinchy loafers.

The way seemed to appear as they walked, mossy branches cleared a path, until they came upon a stone arch over a rising stairwell. At the top was a carving of a Gordian Knot, the same as the gold clasp every student wears.

They all whispered in awe and excitement to each other.

One student in particular was trying her to best to look like she knew where she was going.

Wendy was short and pale - as if playing under the cloudy skies of Maine had somehow stunted her growth. She suffered from the impatience of a field mouse, and right now was regretting wearing her brand new maryjanes in lieu of more practical footwear.

Avoiding touching shoulders with anyone, she merged with the steady stream of her soon-to-be classmates.

The stone steps were covered with a minty layer of moss, and a trickle of a cold brook rolled down a few, winding between pebbles. Magical ruins and carvings from past students marked their surface.

 _'Eloiween + Furbow'_ encased in a tiny heart.

 _'Gorwin was here'_ in rushed, jagged letters.

Along the edges of the path sprouted clusters of Virgin's bower and Mountain Laurel, Sweet Pepperbush and Holly. Tingling their noses and brushing their socks. A few students were tempted to pick berries, but their hands were slapped by their friends.

 _It could be a Mirageweed, and then what would we do if you vanish? Or a Prickerprack cleverly disguising itself, one cut from its thorns and you'll swell up like a balloon._

They were engulfed by enormous trees, all untouched for centuries. Mostly White Pine with fanned needles, but a few Sour Gums were mixed in. And the occasional Red Maple dripped sticky sap on their heads.

For the first hour the group was hushed, quietened by the wonders beneath the shadow of the canopy.

Birds called to each other from the branches high above, a few flitting over their heads. The undergrowth rustled with activity. Yellow eyes blinked at them from under rocks.

Wendy stopped to stare at a moth with black-tipped wings, and was surprised to see that it was, in fact, some sort of pixie with sharp teeth lunching on a beetle. Stomach flipping, she hurried along.

She continued higher and higher, the steps weaved back and forth across Mount Greylock's face. The closer they came to Ilvermorny, the more magic manifested itself before their very eyes.

Magic from the school had seeped into the landscape over the years. Roots moved inexplicably, and stones seemed to shift the moment you looked away. Should anyone leave the safety of the staircase, they'd surely be lost.

Glowblooms bounced around the students' noses on the wind, sparking like tiny, purple firecrackers and drifting in and out of the morning mist.

After being accustomed to the strange forest, the students broke up into small groups, discussing what house they'd be sorted into. Perhaps they'd be picked by multiple houses and get to choose, like the famous president Seraphina Picquery. This erupted into a heated discussion about which house was best.

Wendy had heard the stories on the voyage over. About the Wampus panther who chose warriors and favoured the body. She held up her skinny, limp arm and stared at it. No, perhaps not.

There was the Thunderbird, who preferred adventurers with a strong spirit. She liked watching storms from her bedroom window, so maybe, but hadn't heard the call to adventure and doubted one would occur now.

The Horned Serpent she could be happy with, a house that favours the mind and produces many great wizarding scholars. It was the founder, Isolt's house, whom she admired from what she had read in the school history book.

The one house she was certain she did not want was Pukwudgie. For those of a strong heart. Not that it shouldn't be a respectable house - many healers came from Pukwudgie. But Wendy had heard students discuss Pukwudgies in the same sentence as house elves, and dismissed it as the least competitive of the houses.

Wendy did not wish to be cleaning bedpans and healing cuts and employed in servitude for the rest of her life as a nurse or maid.

Silently, she settled on Horned Serpent, and repeated the name over and over in her head as they climbed, like a spell.

The conversation switched gears. The students discussed if they'd be allowed to ride winged-buffalo as first years. Or if their luggage would be safe with the grumpy handler at the bottom of the mountain. Or who would win the Quidditch cup that year.

No one talked to Wendy.

She tried to interject in a few conversations, asking questions or mentioning what wand she'd prefer, but the other students politely smiled and then turned back into their own groups.

Her shoulders fell and she slowly fell behind the others.

This was the usual way with Wendy.

She wasn't very good at making friends, and instead of playing conkers or hide and seek with the other children from the village down the road, she'd often end up picking up jacks alone, or sitting with her legs dangling off the cliff by her house, looking at the sea.

She was much further behind the group now, and her toes had started to lose feeling.

She stopped and sat down on a broken log, pretending to catch her breath. She removed her robe and set it neatly on her lap, showing her white shirt-sleeves were rolled up, and her cranberry vest was a little too big.

Once the other students were a mere mumbling in the unseen distance, she took off her shoes and rubbed her sore feet.

 _Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out._

She closed her eyes, hiding their muddy hazel flecks. Shaking palms rubbed the rough bark of the log. A rustle to her left, then above her. The sound of running water through crisp, dry leaves. She felt a chill from a breeze that played with strands of her wavy hair, trying to tease it from its messy bun.

Slowly, her beating heart calmed.

"I like being alone." She said suddenly, to no one in particular.

The forest didn't answer, as if it too thought she was lying.

Sighing, Wendy shrugged on her robe.

Then her head shot to the right. Something, just beyond vision, darted behind a tree.

She froze. The trees seemed to be circling her, closing in. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, the same sensation she got from a quick, sheer violin note.

A branch snapped behind her. She whipped around only to catch sight of a thin shadow before it disappeared behind a stone.

Wendy then realized that there was no other sound. The birds and animals were silent. Even the wind was gone.

"Hello?" She asked tentatively, fear rising in her throat. "If you're a student playing tricks it isn't funny. I'll report you the second I get to Ilvermorny." She warned, and was dismayed at the tremor in her voice, which made her sound considerably less intimidating.

Wendy had skimmed her school books on the voyage down to Massachusetts, tucked safely away in the warm bunk of the school steamboat. Creatures like mischievous Hurblemuts, dragonous Snallygasters and temperamental Thornkrill didn't seem so frightening then.

Her mind raced.

 _It could be a troll. Don't be ridiculous. You'd spot it a mile away. You'd SMELL it a mile away. It could be a Jappersnip. It could be a pack of Jappersnips. They go for the eyes first._

It moved again.

She jumped nervously and her heel slipped. With a cry she fell, getting tangled with her robe and tumbling backwards down the steps. Head over heels. Scraping her elbows and knees.

Her fall stopped short when her back hit a large, upended tree root. Panicked and heart racing, she scrambled to throw back her robe and unobscure her face.

She saw it.

Just a glimpse, right before it dove inside the dark branches of an aspen. Her face paled.

Wendy knew exactly what it was.

A Hidebehind.

The same creature Isolt, the founder of Ilvermorny, encountered when she first discovered the school.

A terrifying beast, the Hidebehind can shift between a black mist and a solid, wide-mouthed monster with long, thin claws. It changes its shape to fit any surface, there being where it got its name, hiding behind thick foliage and attacking unsuspecting travellers, ultimately disembowelling them.

Wendy was being hunted.

She swallowed back the painful lump in her throat and, coming to her senses, fumbled the ground until she found a short twig. She held her arm out straight and started backing away.

"I'll curse you!" She warned. Not that she knew any curses. Or any spells for that matter.

Wendy was only eleven.

First years don't receive wands until after they're initiated at Ilvermorny. Her twig (which still had a leaf attached to the end), was a bluff.

A raspy sound came from the bushes. _Shi-shi-shi._

It was laughing at her.

Wendy's cheeks flared an angry red. She stomped her foot down on the stone step and locked her elbow, pointed up at the tree. "I'm not afraid of you! I'm not. I'll make quick work of you, I will!" She lied.

 _Shi-shi-shi._

With a very solid THUMP, a cloud of blackness smashed down a few steps above her, sending debris rolling down the stairwell. Slowly, it rose up to its full height, the shifting cloud of darkness oozing from its body like water.

The Hidebehind had shiny, black skin - and was smooth, like a frog. It was easily twice the height of a grown man. With long arms that bulged at the wrists, and claws that dragged on the ground. It had no eyes or neck. Only a huge, gaping mouth with razor thin teeth.

All thoughts of bravery evaporated.

Wendy couldn't move her feet. She was stuck, one bare foot a step above the other. She shook uncontrollably, hair raised. She tried to remember spells she had read from glancing at her textbooks. _Hidebehind, Hidebehind, what gets rid of a Hidebehind?_ But her mind was a blank page.

She didn't see the Hidebehind swipe at her, but she did feel the tree trunk her face smashed into.

Wendy crumpled, her twig bouncing away into the brush. Flinching, she grabbed her arm and looked where three red slashes now cut through her sleeve.

 _Shi-shi-shi._

The Hidebehind loomed over her, its shadow obscuring the sun.

Her eyes widened, then she quickly shut them and tucked her head between her knees and tensed, waiting for the final blow.

"TAKE THIS!"

THUMP.

Suddenly, the sunlight returned.

Cautious, Wendy peeked out from one eye.

Standing on the steps, holding a second large rock over her head, was another student. Chest heaving, she raised another rock higher and shouted at the trees. "And STAY gone! Or I'll give you another lump on the head!"

Wendy gaped, open-mouthed, at the student.

She had fiery hair that curled up at her shoulders, warm brown eyes and a furious expression. After a tense second, the girl dropped the stone, grabbed Wendy by hand and yanked her up the staircase. "Hurry up!" She shouted. "I think I just confused it. We've got to RUN!"

In a daze, Wendy turned back around, arm reaching out. "But...my shoes," she said weakly.

"What?" The girl exclaimed. "Who cares about your shoes?!"

Wendy sniffed as she stumbled after her, higher and higher up the stone steps. "Well, they were a very expensive present from my Grandfather and-"

"Aside from the monster trying to KILL you," she emphasized, "we can't go back. My brother told me if we're late for sorting we'll be expelled on the spot!"

The girl yanked her arm again, urging her to go faster, and Wendy was too out of breath to argue and run for her life at the same time.

The trees whizzed by her in a green and yellow blur.

 _Could you be expelled for tardiness? On your first day?_

There were tales, dark tales, of what happened to a witch or wizard banned from practicing magic. The magic has to go somewhere, so it eats you alive, from the inside out.

Wendy shuddered and shook her head, snapping out of her shock. The chance of being kicked out of school, however small it may be, was strong enough to focus her mind.

She simply refused to imagine returning to her Grandfather's lonely estate a disgrace - with nothing to show of her short adventure but bare feet.

She ran in step with the other girl, two at a time.

The air was colder now, and only dark pine trees grew this high. They rounded a final set of stairs, between a hollowed out cliff, and onto flat grassy ground.

Nothing.

The stairs had ended. There was no path. Only pine trees and white mist, circling.

Wendy stumbled forward a few steps, then back. "Where...where is it?" She asked, flabbergasted.

What if they were too late, and the school had disappeared from them for the rest of the year?

Wendy watched the mist with a worried expression. _One wrong step and we could fall off the mountain._ "What now?"

"How should I know?" The girl exclaimed, and sat back onto the flat grass to catch her breath. She glanced up at Wendy. "Dianna Lawson by the way."

Wendy blinked. "O-oh." She cleared her throat and stuck out her hand. "Wendy Wildes. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Dianna raised an eyebrow at the formal gesture, but shook Wendy's hand regardless. Her lips twisted in amusement as her own strength made Wendy wince and rub her hand. "Wildes, huh? You're not related to that Weston Wildes fellow, are you?"

Wendy clasped her elbow and looked away. "That's my Grandfather."

Dianna whistled. "No wonder you wanted to go back for your shoes. Were they lined with gold or something?"

"Very funny." Wendy scrunched up her face. She turned back the problem at hand, peering into the mist. "Perhaps there's a secret way through, or a spell to make it disappear, or-"

"OR we just walk straight."

"But-!"

Dianna wasn't hearing it. She hopped to her feet and started pushing Wendy forward. "Don't be such a fraidy cat."

Wendy dug her heels into the dirt. "If you're so brave you go first!"

But Dianna proved herself once again to be unusually strong, and drove both of them deeper into the mist.

Wendy shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the ground to drop out from beneath her. She felt a strange sensation, as if silky threads were pulling apart against her skin, and then all of a sudden it was gone.

"Wendy." Diana whispered.

"What?" She answered sharply.

"I think we're here."

Wendy opened her eyes.

The castle took her breath away.

 **End of Chapter One**


	2. The Sorting

**Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter Two: The Sorting**

Ilvermorny was made of granite, it stood like a crowned jewel on top of Mount Greylock's head. The mist was still there, but circled the grounds instead, protecting them from the outside world like a silvery wall.

The shingled towers and waving flags were all coloured blue and cranberry. A wide stone path lead to the entrance; two enormous wooden doors, studded with iron and carved with Celtic ruins.

They were still open - and there were their classmates! All huddled together at the entrance.

Wendy and Dianna, overcome with giddiness, laughed and ran to catch up.

Wendy glanced at Dianna gratefully as they raced across the grounds. At least she knew one person's name. And for a second, Wendy almost didn't mind that she was nearly eaten, or that she lost her shoes.

As they approached, Wendy slowed.

On either side of the doors were marble statues. Wendy recognized them from her history book. It was the founders, the famous Isolt and her No-Maj husband, James.

A bushel of sweet Mayflowers had been carefully placed at Isolt's feet. Which Wendy thought was strange, since they weren't in season.

Wendy stared up at Isolt's carved face as they walked through the open doors. Her expression seemed wise and soft and driven.

She felt as if the founder was watching her as she passed.

The weight of responsibility pushed down onto Wendy's shoulders. An invisible whisper. A reminder.

 _This is a gift. Don't waste it._

Wendy nodded firmly to Isolt in silent response. _I won't._

They wove through the group, as if they had never left. They were submerged in the crowd, Wendy apologized and pushed through, Dianna just pushed.

As the students shifted, Wendy was suddenly struck on the shoulder and stumbled back, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. She looked up to see who had bumped into her.

A tall boy with jet black hair and grey eyes. He slowly looked her up and down, examining her. His eyes stopped for a moment on her bare, muddy feet and Wendy blushed.

She lifted her hand for him to help pull her up with a small smile.

Instead he put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Watch where you're going." He turned and disappeared behind a wall of other students.

Wendy's hand instantly dropped to the ground. She huffed, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

Dianna stepped in and helped her to her feet. "That's Jasper Norwood." She said, voice hushed. "I bunked near him on the steamboat. He's odd. He'd always sit and read by himself, didn't like chatting with anyone. Like he was too good for the rest of us."

Wendy hugged her one arm and stared after him, frowning. She didn't admit it to Dianna, but she had hid in her bunk and read during most of the voyage as well. She turned away.

If the outside of the huge castle had impressed her, then the front hall elevated that sense of wonder to new heights.

The room was round, the floor was made of marble with a giant imprint of the Gordian Knot across it. Above them were balconies that circled the second floor. Older students all stood solemnly, watching them from behind the wooden railings. The domed ceiling let golden sunlight fall through its glass.

The best feature, however, were the statues.

The House's namesakes.

The Thunderbird, with two pairs of wings and a stormy expression.

The Wampus, unlike any panther Wendy had ever seen, had enormous paws and an extremely long tail.

The Horned Serpent was coiled on its podium, its sheep-like horns filed to a diamond point.

The (slightly smaller) Pukwudgie, with spiky hedgehog hair covering its back, triangle ears and a sour look on its face. It held a bow and arrow in its hands.

The first years gossiped in hushed tones excitedly, eyes bright.

Not long after, a gangly young man with curly brown hair, a tweed suit and a brightly coloured tie strode out to the centre of the room.

A few of the girls (and boys) on the balconies giggled.

He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. "Hello, honoured students. I am Headmaster Erasmus Ivoctum Gladstone. Welcome to Ilvermorny." He said the words with a grand sweep of his arms and a bow.

The students above cheered and clapped.

A warm glow ignited inside Wendy's chest. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"This school was founded on one principal. Anyone, anyone at all who is willing to work hard - can learn magic. Your hike this morning symbolizes the journey you all will take over the next seven years."

Wendy's calves ached something fierce at the mention of their 'hike'. _I'm going to be so sore tomorrow._

A few older students chuckled to each other, like some inside joke. After all, they had to climb the mountain on their first year too.

"Behind me you see our four houses. The Thunderbird, founded by Chadwick Boot, who favours adventurers and the spirit."

The statue threw open its wings and beat them with furious pride. The Thunderbird students hooted and hollered in response.

"The Wampus, founded by Webster Boot, who favours warriors and the body."

The Wampus panther opened its jaws and let out a roar that shook the rafters. The Wampus group shouted and stomped their feet along with it.

"The Horned Serpent, founded by Isolt Sayre, who favours scholars and wisdom."

The jewel encased on the Horned Serpent's head gleamed. A few orderly looking students clapped politely.

Wendy smiled.

"And finally the Pukwudgie, founded by the No-Maj James Steward, who favours healers and the heart."

The Pukwudgie's spindly arm shot in the air, holding its arrow high. The Pukwudgie students remained silent. They merely raised one arm in solemn response, fist closed.

Wendy's smile wavered.

Mr. Gladstone bowed again and backed out of the way. "Let the sorting...begin!"

Students were called to the front, and one by one they stood at the centre of the Gordian Knot, and each time one of the statues would respond. A few had more than one statue respond to them, and they were allowed to choose which house they preferred. They were then filed away to a separate room, likely to select their wands.

Some students were brave, others scared, others looked like they'd throw up.

One nervous girl with hair so fair it was almost white was chosen by the Horned Serpent, and nearly burst into tears, racing from the room.

Wendy watched her go. _Will that happen to me?_ She wondered, worried.

A short boy with messy yellow hair named Finneus Cooper (Wendy only remembered that because his name had to be called three times before he noticed) walked up while eating a sandwich (specifically egg salad, which Wendy knew from the smell).

It took an uncomfortably long time for him to be called, but he just kept chewing, unconcerned. Eventually, the Thunderbird beat its wings, and he skipped from the room, licking his fingers.

"Jasper Norwood."

Wendy crossed her arms and tapped her foot, hoping he'd notice her glare.

But the Norwood boy ignored her, in fact, he seemed almost bored with the whole affair. He waited quietly with his hands in his pockets.

The Horned Serpent shifted and the jewel on its head started to glow.

 _Horned Serpent!_ Wendy thought. _But that's the House I want!_ She couldn't imagine having to bunk anywhere _near_ Norwood.

As the crowd thinned, Dianna's name was finally called. Wendy shot her a hopefully 'good luck' smile.

Dianna stomped to the middle of the room and stared down each of the statues, as if to dare them to speak.

The Wampus' roar was so powerful it nearly knocked her off her feet. Pleased, Dianna exited the room with a 'thumb's up' to Wendy.

Wendy's name was called.

She stood, like a deer in the headlights, as a few students looked around for her.

Pale rays blazed through the tall stained-glass windows behind the statues, illuminating motes of dust, and made colourful reflections that stretched across the marble floor.

She stared at the sunlight, tilting her head just slightly to the side. She felt like she was weightless, floating underwater.

They called her name again.

Wendy snapped out of it.

Fumbling with her sleeve nervously, Wendy stepped forward and took her place at the centre of the Gordian Knot. She hoped no one would notice her bare feet.

A hush fell over the crowd, all eyes watched in solemn ceremony.

Eyelids fluttering, she raised her chin and looked up at her judges, determined. _This is it. This is who you really are._ She clenched her fists. _You can't fight magic._

 _Horned Serpent. Horned Serpent. Horned Serpent._

The statues seemed to grow before her eyes. The Wampus' teeth looked sharper, it's tail flicked and slammed on the ground. The Thunderbird's eyes seemed to narrow. The Horned Serpent rustled, just slightly, then was still.

Slowly, juttering and creaking, the wooden Pukwudgie raised his arrow in the air.

The house's students mirrored it, lifting their fists above their heads.

Wendy nearly collapsed. Her life flashed before her eyes, mixing herbs and drying bed sheets. Healer. Heart. She knew nothing of either. She wanted to turn around and run back down the mountain.

Then, the Pukwudgie statue's eyes seemed to catch hers and hold her there. She could almost hear its tribal chants and drums, booming in her ears.

An image swiped across her mind. Colours thick as paint. She saw black against red.

A battle.

The marble statues of the founders were cracked and broken on the ground.

Ilvermorny was burning.

The Thunderbird shrieked, tearing at the face of the snarling Wampus. The Horned Serpent rose to its full height and let out a terrible hiss, it wrapped its tail around the Thunderbird's neck. The Wampus clawed at the Horned Serpent's snout, tearing away its scales.

They were going to kill each other.

The scene flew across the battlefield, far away, and there was the Pukwudgie. Standing alone.

She tried to shout at it. Why don't you fight? I don't understand! Streaks of paint struck her shoulder, then her leg. She fell to her knees.

It stared at her. Then raised its bow and arrow and pointed - right at Wendy. With a SNAP it let its arrow fly.

Wendy, wide-eyed, couldn't look away.

Just before the arrow struck, the painted scene dripped away.

Wendy blinked. She lifted her palm to her forehead and stumbled. _What? What was that?_

Heated whispers cut through the hall, and Mr. Gladstone was looking right at her, eyebrows raised.

She realized that she had been standing there too long.

Swiftly, similar to waking up after a dream, the images started to fall away like feathers to the ground, until it was nothing more than a bad feeling in Wendy's stomach.

Her face turned red and she raced out of the hall, bursting through the side door. Pukwudgie! How could she be a Pukwudgie?!

 **End of Chapter Two**


	3. The Wand Ceremony

**Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter Three: The Wand Ceremony**

Wendy took a moment to pull herself together. She leaned her back against the cold wooden doors, trying very hard not to cry.

She was a Pukwudgie, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Who really cares what House they get sorted into anyways? Not her.

 _I hope Grandfather won't be disappointed in me._

She rubbed her nose with her sleeve and wiped her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and started down the dark hallway, through another set of doors.

The students were grouped together, all chatting excitedly.

Dianna was talking to Finneus, trying to bribe a bit of food from him by promising to teach him a spell.

"Come on! My brother used it on me once. It'll turn anyone into a dung beetle!" Her laugh was like a cross between an elephant trumpet and a wheeze.

"You don't even have a wand yet." He pointed out through a mouthful of sandwich.

Dianna then noticed Wendy. She ran over and clapped her on the back. "Hey! What'd did you get?"

"Pukwudgie." Wendy mumbled miserably.

"Aw, well, that's...nice." But Dianna didn't sound like she meant it.

"How about you? You look happy being a Wampus."

"Oh, I am. My brother is in Wampus, I've heard tonnes of stories about it. Apparently they have a huge training room and-"

Before she could go any further the Headmaster skipped into the room. "A lot to think about, eh?"

The students shrugged in agreement, some excited, others less so.

Currently, the room was too dark to see much in, the ceiling was swathed in shadow. Only a few floating lanterns illuminated the first years in an orange, flickering gloom.

Mr. Gladstone clapped his hands twice sharply. "Curtains!" He shouted, then winked at them. "This is my favourite part - I give you, the Wand Ceremony!"

Tapestries that hung over narrow, slitted windows lifted away, letting the sunlight shine in.

Wendy, along with the rest of the group, _'ooohed' 'awwwed'_ at the sight.

They were inside an enormous, hollowed-out tower. Lining the walls, as high as the ceiling, were books. Thousands and thousands of books. Ladders climbed the shelves, all starting at different heights. Stone bridges crisscrossed the tower, leading through archways to more illuminated corridors.

"This is the Tower Ring. Most of the castle can be reached from this room. As you can see, today the room is a 'little' different."

And it was.

Floating, as gently as bubbles, were wands. Too many to count. Little tags were tied to their tips. They softly moved around the air, circling all the way up the tower.

"Perhaps your wand is..." He leaped over to one and checked its tag. "An Elmwood - Jackalope Core - Seven Inches. Strong and quick with Glamour spells. Ooor..." He hopped to the other side and checked another wand's tag. "Maybe a Silver Birch - Snallygaster Heartstring Core - Twelve Inches. Excellent at breaking curses."

Excitement trilled in Wendy's chest again.

"You'll know it when you see it. Better move though, these things are quick."

She furrowed her brow. What does he mean by that? They were moving no faster than a turtle crossing a road.

Then their Headmaster laughed and snapped his fingers.

The wands went HAYWIRE.

They started to dart around the room frantically, several shot straight up, others aimed for the students, forcing them to duck out of the way.

With a cry of joy the first years ran. They chased wands around the room, climbing ladders and racing across bridges. Going higher and higher, looking for a wand that spoke to them.

When one did, it stopped short and started to quiver. Or maybe glowed. Or left a trail of gold sparks in its wake.

Finneus climbed the tower slowly, and seemed particularly unlucky as multiple wands kept hitting him in the head.

Dianna was swinging around like a wild animal, showing off her agility dodging other students and scaling the ladders with speed.

Wendy stood still. She let the chaos encircle her and looked straight up, eyes searching.

 _And...THERE!_ She saw it, it wobbled in just a funny way, like the way she tilted her head. She just knew. Following it, she started to climb. One ladder after another. Students bumped past her in glee, but she didn't look away from the wand.

Which is probably why she didn't notice she was about to walk off a ledge.

Wendy staggered on the edge of a bridge two thirds of the way up, arms swinging in panic. Just before she fell, an arm shot out and grabbed her by the collar.

It was Jasper. He yanked her back to safety. They stared at each other for a second.

Before she could stammer her thanks, he was off at a run without a word, chasing his own wand in the opposite direction.

Wendy, remembering the urgency, looked around again. She spotted her wand near the ceiling, knocking against the rafters. She jumped across a gap between the bridges and, arms pumping, raced for the ladder.

She climbed all the way up and stood, arms out for balance, on one of the rafter beams. Very aware of the long drop down, Wendy looked straight ahead and crossed the beam. Arm outstretched and on tip toe, she strained to reach her wand. "Come on...come on...Got you!"

It seemed to melt into her palm. Like it was always meant to be there.

Excited, she turned the tag over. Red Maple - Nine inches - ... Needle

She paused. Turned the tag over again, then back. Wait. Where is it? What's the core?

The words were smudged at the end of the label. All she could make out was a smudge and the word 'Needle'.

Wendy had never heard of any sort of needle being used for wands before. Medical or monster related.

She carried it back down with her and presented it to Mr. Gladstone. "Um, sir? Do you know what core this wand has? The tag seems to be missing it."

The Headmaster, glancing at her, took the wand and inspected it. "Hmm. Interesting."

"Yes?!" She asked, her voice full of hope.

"I have no idea."

It felt like a rock had hit her in the head.

He handed it back to her, and she instinctively sleeved it. "We can always send it to Ollivander's or Maverick's. They'd know. But then you'd be without a wand for class. We'll have to wait until the end of the school year."

Wendy nodded, shoulders drooping. Today was not her day.

The Headmaster tucked his hands behind his back and leaned politely over. "Oh, by the way, the next time you run into a Hidebehind, try an 'displodus' spell." Whistling, he strolled away to congratulate the others.

Wendy gaped at him. _How did he know?_ She would have to be careful around this Headmaster. He might dress funny, but he was sharper than he let on.

Most other students had found their wands and were chatting excitedly about the wood and cores.

Dianna, out of breath, was jumping up and down. "Wendy! Check it out!" She showed off a pale, ash wand and gushed about the Dragon heartstring. "Just like dad!" She said happily, and began to wonder what kind of Dragon the core came from. "I hope it's an Ironbelly, or maybe a Vipertooth."

 _Dragon heartstring!_ Wendy thought. _That's brilliant._ She unsleeved her wand and looked at it reproachfully.

Wendy told Dianna about the missing core, and tried to brainstorm what magical creature had needles, when the last few stragglers gathered together.

The Headmaster quieted them all down with a gesture. "Now, I know you're all probably tired from the journey. I'd like to have you visit your Dormitories and Common Rooms, unpack and relax. We'll all meet in the Mess Hall for dinner after that. To keep you from getting lost..."

Four older students entered the Tower Ring.

One jumped off a lower bridge and landed (followed by polite, impressed applause) on his feet. Wendy recognized (from how he kept shooting looks at Dianna) that he must know her.

Then there was a girl with spiky hair and cat-like eyes who slid down one of the ladders, a lop-sided grin on her face. Wendy liked her instantly.

A second, shorter boy with a tan and freckles entered so silently he seemed to appear out of no where, like a ghost.

And finally a silver fox trotted between their feet, stood next to the first boy and, right before their eyes, transformed into a dignified girl with a long pony tail. This received a few, admiring gasps.

"These will be your House Captains. Our best and brightest. They're here to give guidance. Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them." The Headmaster saluted the four, then with a POP, apparated away.

Wendy rubbed her toe awkwardly on the floor, waiting for something to happen.

Finally, the boy who kept staring at Dianna, called out. "Alright, Wampus House! This way!" He spoke like a military commander.

Wendy suddenly realized that the only person she knew in Ilvermorny was in a different House. They'd see each other far less than their own Housemates. Her chest twinged a little.

Dianna suddenly looked nervous, but before she left she touched Wendy's shoulder. "I'll find you in the Mess Hall." She whispered, and fell in step behind the Captain, following the group out of the Tower.

Wendy watched her go, feeling more alone than ever.

Thunderbirds were next, and followed the enthusiastic spiky haired girl out. "I hope none of you are afraid of heights!" She said cheerfully. "And Cooper, I saw that stunt with the sandwich. I appreciate your gusto, but the next time you drop crumbs on the Gordion Knot I'll tie you to a flagpole for an entire day." She chastised him as they left.

The animagus girl nodded. "Horned Serpents. With me." They followed without hesitation, Jasper was speaking softly to the fair haired girl on the way out, and seemed to be quietly reassuring her.

All that was left was the short, freckled boy. He rubbed his nose with his sleeve and looked them over. "Well, what are you waiting for? Off we go."

A few Pukwudgies exchanged looks, shrugged, and followed him.

Wendy made sure, this time, she was at the front of the group.

 **End of Chapter Three**


	4. The Pukwudgie Den

**Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter Four: The Pukwudgie Den**

They stayed, for the most part, on the ground floor. The Pukwudgie Captain lead them through a complicated series of corridors and a few, meandering stairwells.

Some halls were decorated with paintings of notable wizards and witches, who all gossiped and discussed the students as they passed.

"These ones look a little dim, don't you think?" A woman in a bonnet whispered to a portrait next to her.

"If this is what the Pukwudgies get they're sure to lose another year!" Another wizard called from a sailboat rocking on stormy seas.

"Ignore them." The freckled boy said, almost boredly, without sparing the paintings a glance.

They passed right by the Mess Hall, Wendy caught a glimpse of a low-ceiling and rows of wooden tables shoved close together through the archway. She could smell something delicious cooking, and it made her stomach grumble.

Eventually they left the warm, grey stone of the castle and stepped onto the grassy grounds.

Wendy tugged her cloak tighter around herself to protect from the chill.

Their Captain pointed. "Those are the Greenhouses. Hard to miss." He lead them around and to the back of the two-story, steamy, glass buildings.

Here was the edge of the forest, walled off by tall hedges.

The boy walked up to a part of the leafy fence. "See? Different kind of green." He promptly walked into it and disappeared.

Wendy had no idea what he meant by different kind of green. It looked identical to the rest of the hedges.

Someone said to hurry up and, taking a deep breath, she stepped after him.

They entered a clearing, also bordered by hedges. Golden Flashflies whizzed around dreamily. A willow tree's branches brushed their heads.

And at the centre of the clearing - was a stump.

Wendy stopped short, and a couple people just emerging from the hedge bumped into her.

"We live...in a stump?" Even Wendy's polite nature was unable to hide her disappointment.

"UNDER a stump." The boy corrected. He knelt down next to it, pressed his ear to the wood and knocked. 'Tap-tap-tap. Taptap. Tap.'

It creaked and swung open, revealing a lit, wooden staircase.

Wendy hesitated.

"Stump isn't good enough for her!" A voice called from the back of the group.

She blushed and, strengthening her resolve, stumbled after their Captain.

The staircase wound down into the earth, like a screw. Old roots from the dead tree poked out of the dirt walls, a few even dripped water.

Wendy's eyes pinpointed a beetle with two heads and a purple shell crawl across one step, and nearly jumped into the student behind her (much to their annoyance and her many additional apologies).

She stepped carefully AROUND the beetle, and onto a cranberry coloured rug. The area opened up.

"Welcome to the Pukwudgie Den."

It was a completely round room, with soft pillow-chairs tucked into corners and placed on long, hand-woven rugs. Iron lanterns lit the space with orange light.

Tapestries depicting Pukwudgies and different trees or flowers hung from available wall space, along with genuine Pukwudgie drums and retired bows.

There were some short bookshelves with, from Wendy's brief glance, held anatomy and magical remedy spells.

The most obvious feature, however, were the bunks dug INTO the walls that surrounded the room. They were full of pillows and cozy sheets, with built in shelves for their things, and had curtains for privacy. They circled the entire space, all the way back up to the surface, accessed by a spiralling ramp that stuck out from the wall.

It was warm, and dry, and could be seen by many as almost 'snug'.

But Wendy felt that her fears of being a lesser House were confirmed by their new home. Hidden underground and out of sight, she thought, like they don't want us around.

The other students seemed excited, and started checking out the drums and falling onto the comfortable, stuffed chairs.

"All Pukwudgies share this Den equally. There are separate hovels for changing and the loo down that tunnel."

They nodded.

"Respect each other." He said dryly, and tapped a nearby root emerging from a wall. "Or risk angering the stump - the last time a duel broke out in here we had to cut them from the roots."

They nodded quicker.

"You're Pukwudgies now. We take care of each other, and whether the other Houses like to admit it or not, we take care of them too." And for the first time, the boy smiled at them. "Welcome home."

The group (except for a disheartened Wendy, who was staring glumly at her feet) beamed.

One student called out a question.

"Oh, right." He said. "My name is Hickory. You can usually find me in the stables. Now, go find your bunks and get sorted, meet back at the Mess Hall in one hour."

The others raced around the ramp, chatting about what the other House Dorms might look like.

All the first year bunks were near the bottom of the den, so they ran between each other giggling, throwing paper airplanes and putting up picture frames from home.

Wendy dragged her feet. Her bunk was three rows up. She slunk onto her bed, where her suitcase was already placed, and pulled the curtain weakly shut behind her.

She was glad to find that, with the curtain closed, a magical noise barrier came with it, and she was finally left in silence.

She leaned against the wall and held a pillow to her stomach, digging her chin into the fabric. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. She still wasn't used to crowds, and felt thoroughly exhausted.

Suddenly, someone knocked.

Wendy poked her head out from under her curtain.

It was Hickory, holding up a small red suitcase. "Hey, I noticed you're cut up pretty bad." He knelt down in front of her. "Can I have a look?"

Uneasy, Wendy opened half the curtain and shuffled to sit on the edge of her bed. In all the commotion of her first day, Wendy had completely forgotten about her scrapes from her Hidebehind encounter.

"Did you fall?" Hickory asked quietly as he took out a corked vial, some cotton and a bandage roll.

"...Yeah." It wasn't exactly a lie. "On the steps."

He squinted, focusing. He dabbed her knees and elbows with the cotton, soaked in green liquid.

Wendy winced from the sting.

A little more gently, Hickory wrapped a single layer of bandages on each wound. His eyes did seem to flicker when he saw the scrapes on her arm, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just pulled out a different vial that smelled funny and wrapped it extra tight.

"There." He said. "They'll be healed up in a day." He zipped up his suitcase and glanced at her. "No more falling, ok?"

She nodded.

He turned to leave, then paused and glanced back at her. "I was like you, on my first day."

He walked away, leaving Wendy to try and decipher what he meant. First the Headmaster, now this. Was everyone so cryptic at Ilvermorny?

 **End of Chapter Four**


	5. The Boiler Room

**Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter Five: The Boiler Room**

Wendy got lost on her way to the Mess Hall.

She was turned around in a corridor where, she swore, the doors cheekily liked to switch places. Then a painting pointed her in the wrong direction (she suspects on purpose), and she ended up beneath the castle.

The air was cold and damp, and spirits roamed the halls, bobbing up and down and glowing silver. Clusters of bats shuffled and spiders white as bone wove invisble threads in dark corners.

The walls were thick slabs of stone decorated with ceiling-high carvings. Luminescent moss the colour of starlight had grown into the cracks, and made the pictures swirl around her, as if alive.

Some were of great wizards, others of magical creatures. (Wendy nearly jumped out of her skin from the the gaping jaws of a dragon that loomed over her). Others still were stories - of the school's history.

Wendy, hands behind her back, curiously watched Isolt Sayre run across the ocean to hide from the evil Gormlaith Gaunt and start the castle from a humble cottage.

She saw pictures of a grumpy looking Pukwudgie follow Isolt around. _That must be William._

Wendy had read about him. A Pukwudgie Isolt had rescued from a Hidebehind and named after her father. She nursed him back to health, and he felt forever in her debt. If she remembered correctly he returned years later to save her from Gaunt. Ever since then Pukwudgies remained to take care of Ilvermorny in her stead.

It still sounded like servitude to her. She couldn't grasp why they'd stay for so long.

Her Grandfather employed a fleet of servants. And she had been assigned under the thumbs of many nannies over the years. None of them truly loved her, Wendy knew from a young age it was artificial. Paid for with gold.

 _I refuse to be anyone's servant._

The sound of bubbling water distracted her from her thoughts, and she followed it towards a tall archway. Pale ruins glowed around its pillars. The symbols seemed to hum and pulse softly.

Curious, she peeked her head through the archway.

SPLASH.

Wendy shrieked.

She turned so quickly she tripped and fell to the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she raced back down the hallway, turning left and right without thinking. Her mind was completely overtaken.

 _A sea monster! There's a sea monster under Ilvermorny!_

After losing herself deeper into the castle, she stopped to catch her breath.

At the end of this hall an orange glow flickered warmly from behind an open door.

Wendy cautiously made her way towards it.

It was a boiler room. A huge iron furnace the size of a church pipe organ was hard at work, chewing up wood and spitting back ash and coal. It bounced with each puff, rattling its pipes and vents.

Hard at work was a band of small, goblin-like creatures with big ears and hedgehog hair all the way down their backs. They had skinny grey arms and legs, and wore red bands around their wrists and ankles.

One whose hair was a little whiter and his skin a little wrinklier, was cleaning his bow on his knee.

"Um, excuse me..." She interjected.

Without looking at her, he suddenly strung his bow at inhuman speed and launched an arrow at her head.

It hit the door frame an inch from her head with a THUMP.

Wendy's face instantly drained of colour. Her mind flashed with her dream from the Sorting Ceremony. Would it come true? Did she escape a Hidebehind just to be skewered like a rabbit?

"You're not supposed to be down here." He said in a gruff but amused voice.

The other Pukwudgie's stopped working and turned to look at her. Their big eyes were like black stones in the firelight.

The older one hobbled over, where Wendy stood frozen, and yanked his arrow from the wood. He looked it over. "I'd pay good gold to see that look on your face again."

He laughed and the others joined in.

Wendy's face burned. Fear for her life was replaced with angry humiliation. "Well," she stuck her nose in the air, "if you're going to be rude and shoot arrows around all willy-nilly I'll just leave."

"Wait, wait. Don't get in a huff." He sat back down slowly, as if his joints hurt. "You're lost right? Staircase is two lefts that way."

"Hmph. How'd you know I was lost?"

"Because none of you oh-so-special wizards ever come visit us lowly Pukwudgies unless you're lost."

She frowned, then placed her hands on her hips. "Well, maybe they would if you didn't try and skewer their eyes out."

The Pukwudgie blinked, and too embarrassed by her daring words Wendy whipped around and ran to the staircase.

She could hear the Pukwudgies' echoing laughter follow her.

Once up the stairs she could make out the loud chatter of students, and was able to follow the sound back to the Mess Hall.

It was a lot more cramped with students from every House filling the tables. Body heat and candle light warmed the room, and everyone discussed their new accommodations and what classes to look forward too.

A line filed around the edge of the room, and students waited with plates in hand. At the front was a glass counter that spanned from one wall to the other, and food appeared from the walls and magically crawled across the counter, only to disappear in the other wall.

Towers of icecream and whole cooked chickens, mashed potatoes and pastries and spicy soup, firecracker fries and candied murples and fizzpeppers - and every other kind of food a hungry student could imagine.

Students grabbed whatever they wanted and sat down.

Wendy skipped the line up. She had to tell someone about the sea monster. She didn't see any teachers. They must eat somewhere else.

Dianna called her name and waved her down. "I saved a seat for you!"

Wendy rushed over. "Dianna, you won't believe-"

"Me first, me first! The Wampus House is AMAZING. My brother Gilvan, he's the Captain by the way, lead us to this big room with suits of armour all around the border."

She took a bite of a chicken leg, swallowed it in one breath, and continued. "Well, in order to get IN the room you have to battle one. I KNOW, right? It's so cool! They use wooden swords, but it's still pretty intense. If one person fails the match another steps up and then another, or everyone sleeps outside."

"That's-"

"And my ROOM. I get to bunk with a few other girls and it's like living in a medieval castle."

"Very neat, but-"

"My turn!" Finneus, who Wendy only just noticed sitting across from them, somehow had managed to make his hair messier than before. He was holding a chocolate pastry in both hands, and his mouth was smeared with it. "Izza's our Captain - she's hilarious. The Thunderbirds live in the tallest tower of the castle. The staircase we have to climb is on the OUTSIDE of the tower and there's NO railing!"

He pointed his pastry at Wendy and lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "Legend says if you jump from the tower a Thunderbird will appear and catch you, but no one has been stupid enough to try."

He stuffed both pastry's in his face. "We all sleep in this communal net, there's a bunch of cozy pillows and blankets. They say sometimes when the sky is clear they'll let us sleep on the roof too! There's a big floating globe in the middle of the room, and if you touch it it'll show you any place you want."

Wendy's face fell. Both of their Houses sounded amazing. "Won't you guys get in trouble for sharing House secrets?"

"Nah," Finneus said. "You have to have a key to get in the Tower. Every month there's a scavenger hunt, and once one student finds the key it appears in every Thunderbird's pocket. Apparently it's a big honour to be the one to find it."

"And the armour that guards the Wampus house won't fight anyone but a Wampus." Dianna added.

"How about you, what's the Pukwudgie House like?"

She scratched the back of her neck, and reluctantly started her story. She told them all about the stump and Hickory (she had to backtrack to explain to Finneus why she needed bandages, and he seemed impressed with their tale of bravery), and getting lost and her strange experience under the Castle.

Wendy felt out of breath by the end of it.

"A sea monster?" Dianna rubbed her chin. "That's strange. I don't think the teachers would allow one in Ilvermorny."

"I know I saw it. Blue scales in some underground lagoon. It was huge!" Wendy imagined she had seen teeth too, but wasn't quite sure.

"I think the Pukwudgies are more dangerous." Finneus piped up. "Who shoots an arrow at a student?"

"I'm pretty sure it was a joke." Dianna said slowly. "From what I've heard from my brother, Pukwudgies are school security or something."

Wendy opened her mouth and considered telling them about her dream in the Entrance Hall, but decided against it. It was just a hallucination, probably from stress or adrenaline.

The rest of the students had thinned by now. Dianna told Wendy not to worry and they'd investigate tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Finneus snuck a bunch of food into his pockets before leaving, and Wendy realized that she too was exhausted.

Wendy felt like a lot had happened to her for her first day at Ilvermorny.

She made her way out the Mess Hall and across the grass. It looked purple under the night sky, and the glass greenhouses were silent and dark. Glowblooms drifted along the quiet breeze.

She turned around the corner of the greenhouse and nearly ran into another student heading the other way.

"Sorry, I-oh, it's you."

Jasper looked surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I live...that way." She gestured in the general direction of the forest. "I could ask you the same question."

"I wanted to see the stars." He replied simply.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Wendy looked up at the sky, her face softened. "They are pretty."

Jasper blinked.

She bit her lip and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Um, this is going to sound silly, but I was wondering...what's the Horned Serpent House like?"

There was a long silence.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"What? Why not?!"

He just shook his head.

"F-Fine!" She shoved past him, making sure to bump his shoulder for payback.

She could feel his eyes bore into her back as he watched her go.

Once she was through the hedges, she stopped and wiped her eyes. He really was the worst.

She knocked on the stump to let her in and, exhausted, headed to her bunk. Tomorrow was the first day of classes. Surely, her second day couldn't be worse than her first.

 _I hope._

 **End of Chapter Five**


	6. Flying Lessons

**Wendy and the Stone Heart**

 **Chapter Six: Flying Lessons**

Wendy couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned in her bunk. Her sleeve's button had caught on her curtain and torn it, so every cough and sniffle and rustle from the other students sounded clear as a bell to her. She could even hear an animal scratching from behind her wall.

And somewhere, echoing, a tap dripped.

Frustrated, she threw her face into her blankets and pressed her pillow over her ears.

She fumed about Jasper. She wondered about the sea monster. Most of all she worried about her classes.

What if she couldn't do magic? What if she was a squib and no one told her? What if she was just plain bad?

Her eyes were wide in the dark, staring at the bumps and crevices of her burrow wall.

Wildes was a well known name and a big title to live up to. Her grandfather always expected perfection. Nothing less would do.

He would sit in his favourite armchair, sipping imported Honeybrew while reviewing financial reports for the day and nursing a Puffapod pipe. Wendy would stand and wait in front of the fireplace, legs aching, as he quizzed her on wizarding history and spell dictation.

Sometimes for hours.

And when he was satisfied he would dismiss her with a wave of his hand. But not before saying with a stern glance from beneath his pale eyebrows, "We are direct descendants of Salem, don't forget that."

Wendy rolled over in her bunk and hugged her maple wand close to her chest, frowning.

When it was time for their first class, Wendy had dark circles under her eyes, a crazed frizziness to her normally neat hair and she missed a clasp on her vest.

It took her five minutes to realize she was trying to put her shoe on the wrong foot. Her back-ups were scuffed leather flats and weren't nearly as nice as her maryjanes, but it was better than going barefoot.

A pin similar to their Gordion Knots was left out by their bunks. It depicted an arrow inside a golden circle. (After pricking her finger) she placed it over her heart.

Yawning, she followed the stream of Pukwudgies up the spiralling steps and out from under the stump.

The sky glowed a soft lavender. Pink tips of the sun's rays had barely peaked over Mount Greylock's face, and played with the shadows of the pine needles. The lawn was wet with dew and glittered like a smooth pane of glass.

Hickory waited patiently for the first years to file into the clearing and handed them their timetables. A few older students shouted good luck over their shoulders as they disappeared between the hedges.

"Your classes are taught by year, so you'll share lessons with other houses."

Wendy perked up a bit at that. Maybe she'd get to see Dianna after all.

"Try not to get lost, if you do, don't ask the paintings for directions. They like to play pranks. Respect your teachers. And no wandering where you're not supposed to - or we'll know."

For a second Wendy thought Hickory was looking directly at her, but it was so fast she couldn't be sure.

She crossed her arms in a huff. _We'll, when Dianna and I find that sea monster they'll be glad I wandered around._ She thought. _I'm sure they'd prefer that to a student getting eaten._

As all the students headed for their classes, Wendy checked her timetable. The words swam in front of her. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes.

 _First Period: Flying Lessons. Stables._

She walked around the grounds, her shoulders slumped and her feet dragging. She ended up going the wrong way and had to detour the front of the Castle.

Now that she had a better look she could see that the Castle wasn't constructed all at once. Buildings, archways, bridges and even walls all came together like a patchwork quilt. Some were made of older, more weathered granite. Others were added on later as the school grew.

The architecture didn't always seem to make sense, and looked a little twisted or wonky, but magic took care of that, keeping it all from falling apart.

She walked past the statues of Isolt Sayre and James Steward. They watched her go with solemn, stony gazes. Silent guardians standing at Ilvermorny's door.

Wendy unconsciously nodded in Isolt's direction, as if to say good morning. She noticed that even more mayflowers had been laid at the founder's feet than yesterday.

 _I wonder who puts them there._

She stopped short.

For a second, just a second, she thought she saw Isolt turn her marble head and nod back at her.

She stared at the founder's carved face for a while, legs frozen in place. The wind blew across the grounds, cold and crisp, playing with Wendy's hair.

A bell, similar to a large bronze ringer in a church tower, started to chime from somewhere on the grounds, snapping her from her trance.

Wendy placed the back of her hand on her forehead to check for a fever. _I really should have gotten more sleep. I must be seeing things._

She hurried along, around one of the eastern towers and was relieved to see the stable.

A mix of first years from every house mingled together by a tall stack of hay.

Wendy noticed that everyone was sporting similar gold pins to hers. Pukwudgies had an arrow, Thunderbirds a feather, Wampuses a paw print, and the Horned Serpents a six-point jewel.

Dianna and her fiery red hair were easy to spot. Wendy waved.

"Wendy! Can you believe it? Flying on the first day!" Dianna jumped up and down excitedly. "I can't WAIT to get on a broomstick. I'm going to tame the whole sky!" She placed her hands on her hips and looked up proudly at the clouds.

Wendy managed an exhausted smile in return.

Dianna raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You look half-dead. Err, no offence."

"None taken. I couldn't sleep."

Dianna leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "Is it about that sea monster you found yesterday?"

"That," Wendy said slowly, "and..." She noticed Jasper leaning against the stable wall next to the frail, white-haired girl. He glanced up at her and their eyes met. She quickly looked away. "...some other things too."

Dianna was distracted from asking further questions because Finneus had climbed to the top of the wobbly hay stack, making a spectacle of himself.

"Thunderbirds aren't afraid of heights!" He declared loudly. "We'll fly circles around the rest of you!" Thunderbird students laughed and cheered, other houses booed at him.

"Puh-lease." Dianna stepped forward. "Wampuses are the most athletic. You'll be eating our cloud dust." She grinned as other Wampuses roared in approval.

The Horned Serpents seemed to be staying out of it, and the Pukwudgies were just enjoying the show.

Finneus, all in good fun, gave a mock gasp. "Is that a CHALLENGE?"

Dianna's lips curled upwards. "It wouldn't be much of a challenge."

The group gave a low and long "Oooooh" in unison.

"I feel a storm coming on!" Finneus cupped his mouth and did a loud, screechy bird call, then put his hands on his hips and waved his elbows up and down like wings. His classmates laughed. "Someone hand me a broomstick!"

"Who said anything about broomsticks?"

Finneus jumped in surprise, lost his balance, and tumbled down the hay stack. He lay sprawled out at the bottom, a bit of hay sticking out of his hair and mouth.

The class turned.

Behind them stood a man with a square jaw and a sunburn. A white scar crossed the bridge of his nose. He wore a leather vest and tall, practical boots.

"Um," Dianna stepped forward, "isn't this flying lessons?"

The man stared at her with no expression, and Wendy got the feeling he wasn't the sort to smile often. "Follow me."

He lead the class to the front of the stables.

The stables were a large circular structure, pointed at the top like a circus tent. Braces as big as tree trunks held up the slate roof. Surrounding the building was a large empty field with short grass.

"Stand back." He lifted up a heavy wooden latch and pushed the doors open.

Wendy gasped.

Out rushed a stampede of huge, flying buffalo. Their white wings stirred the air and kicked up a cloud of dirt. They launched into the sky, snorting and pawing their hooves in the invisible breeze.

Several students stumbled out of the way, Finneus' jaw dropped, and Dianna whooped in approval.

The white-haired girl hid her face in her hands and Jasper stepped in front of her protectively.

Wendy paled and her knees wobbled. _They want us to fly...THOSE?_

A few students started forward, only to be blocked by the teacher.

"Before any of you fly one, you learn to take care of 'em first."

Wendy inwardly sighed with relief.

He grabbed an armful of pitchforks and started tossing them out. "If I see ANY of you even THINKING about mounting one before I say so, you'll be banned to manure duty for the rest of the year. Am I clear?"

Everyone nodded quickly.

"You can call me Sunny, I'm the stable master here. Follow everything I say and we'll get along fine. Each morning you'll have chores and-"

"But," a Wampus student with bright pink hair and pointy nails folded her arms and pouted sourly, "this is muggle work. Why can't we just use magic to clean up? Or get the Pukwhatevers to do it, that's their job, right?"

A few students nodded in agreement, even Wendy before she caught herself. The Pukwudgie students glared.

Wendy's cheeks reddened. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Well, Miss Juniper, the Pukwudgies are school security, not our janitors. You'd do well to remember that. And since you think you're too good to do a little manual labour, perhaps you can show us your superior skills now."

He placed his fingers to his lips and whistled.

One of the buffalo with a white spot on his head and a mean expression dove down and slammed in front of Juniper, dragging his hoof impatiently in the dirt. A bit of drool oozed from his beard.

He was easily twice her height.

"This is Borris." Sunny patted his rump affectionately. "So, Miss Juniper, what are you waiting for?"

The pink-haired girl looked noticeably shaken, but couldn't back down now. She swallowed and, raising her nose proudly in the air, marched up to the buffalo.

He had no saddle, so she had to grab a clump of his fur to pull herself up. She was cautious at first, but Borris made no sudden movements and waited patiently for her, so her confidence grew.

She straddled him bareback. "Ha, see. Not so hard."

The Wampuses clapped enthusiastically.

"Wow, that's really impressive." Wendy whispered in awe.

Dianna stepped back slowly. "I'm not so sure." She grabbed Wendy's elbow. "I think we should get out of the way."

"What? Why?"

Dianna just shook her head and pulled her to the side. She also grabbed Finneus by the collar on their way, despite his protests. They huddled by the corner of the stable.

"Dianna!" Finneus complained. "I can't see from here!"

"Shh. Just watch. Can't you tell? Look at its eyes." Dianna held her finger to her lips.

Jasper was standing there too with the frail girl, hiding in the shade.

Judging from the delicate girl's stuffy red nose and watering eyes, Wendy guessed she was allergic to hay. It was the first time she had been close to her, and realized the girl had red eyes and skin so pale she could see her veins.

 _She's an albino,_ Wendy realized. But her attention was drawn away.

Juniper, laughing, kicked the buffalo's sides.

Without warning, the buffalo shot straight up into the air.

Juniper screamed.

It zig-zagged across the sky with incredible speed, rising and diving so steeply that Juniper was only able to hold on with her hands - her legs flying in the air behind her. They were so high up they become a small, black dot against the sun.

The buffalo then dove for the students, missing them by a hair as they threw themselves out of the way, a few landing in the mud.

Wendy's mouth dropped open.

Dianna simply folded her arms and stood back, satisfied. "Told you."

They could hear Juniper screaming the whole time, and Wendy had to hold her hand in front of her mouth to stop from laughing when it looked like the pink-haired Wampus accidentally swallowed a bug.

Finally, about a hundred feet in the air, the buffalo did a barrel roll, and Juniper fell from its back.

It looked like she was about to hit the ground, hard, when Sunny whipped out his wand.

Her descent was slowed, just barely, and she landed with a splash in a particularly deep pond of (probably) mud - face first.

The entire class stood in shock.

"Anyone else think they're too good for chores?"

Everyone quickly shook their heads in unison.

"Good."

Juniper struggled to get out of the mud pile, slipping and sliding. Her pink hair was completely coated a wet, sticky brown.

As the other students walked by her to enter the stables, the giggles and snickering started.

She cast them all a dirty look.

Dianna bit her lip and, after a moment's consideration, hurried over to her. She held out her hand. "Need some help?"

Instead of taking it, Juniper continued to try and stand on her own. "Are you mocking me?"

Dianna blinked, taken aback. "What? No. We Wampuses have to stick together. I was just trying to-"

"Get OUT of my way." Juniper shoved Dianna aside and stomped back towards the castle, likely to clean herself up.

Dianna regarded the muddy hand print on her shirt in distaste.

Wendy walked up. "Well, she's certainly...pleasant."

Dianna scoffed. "Serves her right! Anyone with half a brain could tell that buffalo was going to buck her off. Just look at the way Lucky was standing! And how his nostrils flared! It was obvious."

Wendy blushed again. _She_ hadn't noticed a thing.

Sunny, hands placed neatly behind his back, wandered over. "I saw you get your friends out of the way, Miss Lawson. I'm impressed. Have you handled animals before?"

Dianna brushed her curly hair behind her shoulder, clearly pleased by the praise. "Yes, my parents own a Dragon Ranch down in Texas. You learn quick or you get burned."

Sunny nodded. "Good. In that case, I'm placing Lucky in your charge. He's too rowdy to be calm around most students. That means it'll be your responsibility to groom him, feed him and clean his stall. Can you handle that?"

"O-of course!" Dianna gushed. She saluted Sunny. "You can count on me, sir!"

"Then get to it."

Dianna, thrilled, nearly skipped into the stables.

"The rest of you, stop dawdling and start with tangle-duty." He nodded for them to hurry up.

Wendy and Finneus were given thick, metal brushes and, beneath Sunny's watchful supervision, had to brush the coats of buffalo as they munched on troughs of oats and berries.

Dianna took to it instantly, cooing Lucky and enthusiastically brushing him using her inhuman strength. He sniffed her hair and clothes and tested her patience by nudging her with his nose and nibbling on her arm, but she stood firm and unafraid.

Wendy, however, struggled to pull the comb through the knots and brambles, and flinched in fear every time she yanked the hair too hard and the buffalo snorted.

She was never very good with animals, and couldn't stop worrying about where its hooves and teeth were. Her hands shook nervously.

Finneus moved on to baling hay, got too close to a buffalo and was sneezed on.

Jasper was helping the frail girl carry heavy tack and saddles across the stable.

Sunny critiqued Wendy harshly, barking at her whenever she was doing something wrong. She dropped a pail of water - so he made her go back and fetch three more. She startled a sleeping buffalo - so he made her clean out its stall alone.

She felt like a failure.

Near the end of the lesson, Wendy struggled on tiptoe to place a curved, metal horseshoe (or, she supposed, 'buffaloshoe') on a hook high up on the wall.

The spot on her arm where the hidebehind gouged her throbbed painfully. She winced.

Without a sound Jasper slipped behind her, reached over her head and gently placed the shoe on the hook that was just out of her grasp.

Before she could turn and say something, he swiftly disappeared carrying a large bag of grain on his shoulder.

Wendy felt her forehead again for fever.

 _Why is he so confusing?_

Wendy caught the albino girl staring at her, wide-eyed, from behind a saddle stand.

The girl looked flustered when she realized Wendy had noticed her. She turned to run away, stopped, then looked back at Wendy reproachfully.

Wendy was surprised at the girl's venomous expression.

"Stay away from him." She said, her voice soft as silk and quiet as a mouse, but dripping with hatred. She whipped around and raced away.

Wendy was taken aback. _W-What? I don't even know her! Or him! N-not really, anyways. What is going on?_

Wendy decided they were both crazy and tried not to think about it.

Flying lessons had a distinct lack of actual flying, and was hard work. They only got a brief break for breakfast (which consisted of stale toast and orange juice they were given). The sun was already high in the sky before Sunny let them leave to their next class.

Wendy wiped sweat from behind her bangs, shoulders hunched and arms sore. "I wonder if the next class is going to be so...physical."

"I HOPE it is!" Dianna said cheerfully. "This is child's play compared to milking a dragon."

"You can MILK dragons?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Sure can. Most wizards use their blood, scales and claws for potions, wand-making and even fireproof robes. But there are lots of useful parts to dragons. Their stomachs are nearly unbreakable and can be used as bottomless bags with the right enchantment. Their eyes are necessary ingredients to construct crystal balls, or can be used to spy on your enemies. Even dragon spit has its uses."

"Wow. You sure know a lot." Wendy said, admiring her friend.

Dianna beamed.

Deep down Wendy felt a twinge of jealousy. It sounded like Dianna had a much more exciting life than Wendy could even imagine.

Finneus caught up with them, looking equally dishevelled as Wendy. "I can't believe we have to do this every morning!" He tried to brush clumps of snot from his robe without much success. "We'll smell bad for the rest of the day! And how dare he call that breakfast. Where were the eggs? The french toast? The BACON?!"

Dianna snickered. "All you think about is food."

Finneus looked genuinely distraught. "But it's the most important meal of the day..." He hid his head in his hands. "I think I'm going to cry."

Dianna laughed at him again, and this broke into an argument about how many meals a day were acceptable (Finneus insisted seven, and went into a long speech about the importance of midnight snacks).

Wendy guided the bickering two through the castle to their second class.

Morphosis was next.

 _I hope I'm better at this._ She thought, chewing on her cheek.

 **End of Chapter Six**


End file.
